LPGA moves Founders Cup to Nelly Korda’s home course Bradenton Country Club in February, 2025

NAPLES, Fla — The LPGA turns 75 in 2025, and its global force will compete for $131 million in total prize money, the tour has announced.

Once again, the LPGA will have 33 official events spanning 14 states and 11 countries as well as the mixed-team Grant Thornton Invitational and Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, staged in South Korea. Official money is up $3.6 million from last season, though the tour says additional purse increases are expected to be announced.

“This schedule is highlighted by two exciting new events, a new multi-year title for the longest-running non-major tournament on the LPGA Tour, even higher purse sizes, increased benefits that will enhance the athlete experience, improved geographical flow and a longer off- season that will give our athletes a well-deserved rest after their tremendous work in 2024,” LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said in a statement.

The two new events for next year include the previously announced Black Desert Championship debuting in Utah with a purse of $3 million in May, and the Riviera Maya Open in Mexico later in the month. The Cancun event, which has yet to announce a course, will have a purse of $2.5 million. It’s the tour’s first time in Mexico since 2017.

With Cognizant choosing not to renew its title sponsorship, the Founders Cup moved to Bradenton, Florida, where the tour held a Drive On event in 2024, won by hometown player Nelly Korda. With no title sponsor listed, it looks like the LPGA will financially back its Founders Cup with a purse of $2 million in early February.

The CME Group Tour Championship will return to the Tiburon Golf Course in Naples for Nov. 20-23.

In addition, the tour’s long-standing Toledo stop has dropped off the schedule after four decades.

While it looked like the Portland stop was in similar danger, The Standard Insurance Company has stepped up to title sponsor. The course is listed as TBD, and the purse will be $2 million.

The 2025 season kicks off two weeks later than 2024, giving top players a longer offseason with the Grant Thornton held in December. The opening 2025 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions gets underway Jan. 30-Feb. 2 at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.

The tour will once again have two separate Asian swings with stops in Thailand, Singapore, China, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan.

One of the more head-scratching stretches of the schedule comes in June, when two Michigan events (Meijer LPGA Classic and Dow Championship) are split up by the KPMG Women’s PGA in Texas. (It was the same in 2024.)

Players have a week off after the Michigan-Texas-Michigan run followed by the Amundi Evian Championship in France. Then there’s another off-week before two events are held in the U.K.: ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open and AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.

Nine tournaments raised their purses for 2025, with the FM Championship becoming only the second non-major to feature a purse over $4 million after the CME Group Tour Championship ($11 million). FM’s purse went from $3.8 million in 2024 to $4.1 in 2025.

While major championship purses have led the way in growth, other events are starting to catch up. Non-major purses will total more than $83 million in 2025, up from $45.8 million in 2021.

Here’s a look at the complete 2025 schedule:

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: LPGA releases 2025 schedule: Founders Cup moved to Bradenton